BBC Philharmonic Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
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- What you'll hear
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Luscious. Shimmering. A musical art gallery.
Who’s on stage
BBC Philharmonic make the journey from Salford with conductor Ludovic Morlot and pianist Bertrand Chamayou. Who better to perform some exquisite French music than two of France’s finest?
What they’re playing
A concert dedicated to the genius of Maurice Ravel, with three of his most popular original compositions and his arrangement of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Need to know
Price: £21 – £49
Discounts: save if you’re under 17, aged 18 – 30, a classical first timer, a group of 10 or more people. Check the details.
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
What you'll hear
Maurice Ravel La valse (12′)
Maurice Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales (16’)
Maurice Ravel Piano Concerto in D Major (Left Hand) (19’)
Modest Mussorgsky orch. Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition (35’)
Who's playing it
Ludovic Morlot conductor
Bertrand Chamayou piano
BBC Philharmonic
What's happening in the music?
Imagine walking around an art gallery. Each picture you see is radically different. Some are serene, some humorous, some bizarre, some frankly terrifying… Now imagine that in musical form, and you have Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Mussorgsky had an exceptionally inventive musical imagination and he really let rip with this piece, each picture depicted incredibly vividly, with a little ‘palate cleanse’ of a musical walk between each one.
Maurice Ravel could also paint quite the musical picture, though not always as literally as Mussorgsky. His music is always gorgeous and rich, with this concert including two waltz-inspired pieces – La Valse and Valses nobles et sentimentales – and a fascinating piano concerto for left hand only. Until you hear it, it’s hard to imagine how that sounds but the jazzy solo line soars over the orchestra and fills the hall with colour.
